Managing map elements using aggregate feature identifiers

1. A computer-implemented method for providing map data to a client device via a communication network, the method comprising: generating map data that conforms to a non-raster format, wherein the map data is for rendering a raster map image of a geographic area at a selected zoom level at the client device, wherein the raster map image includes a plurality of map elements, each corresponding to a respective physical entity or a portion of a physical entity in the geographic area, wherein each of the plurality of map elements is visible at the selected zoom level; generating map feature data that specifies a map feature selectable from the map data at the client device, wherein the map feature includes two or more of the plurality of map elements and does not include at least one of the plurality of map elements, wherein the map elements included in the map feature correspond to related physical entities, wherein the related entities are associated with a common commercial, business, academic, or a residential entity, and wherein the map feature includes at least two map elements that correspond to physical entities of different types, including: providing an indication of a portion of the map data that corresponds to the map feature, and providing a map feature identifier that uniquely identifies the map feature; and causing the map data and the map feature data to be transmitted to the client device via a communication network; receiving, subsequently to causing the map data and the map feature data to be transmitted to the client device, a request for additional map data corresponding to the geographic area; generating a description of a set of additional map elements in the non-raster format, wherein the additional map elements were not provided with the map data; identifying a map element in the set of additional map elements that is associated with the map feature; providing an indication that the identified map element corresponds to the map feature, including providing the map feature identifier with the identified map element; and causing the description of the set of additional map elements and the indication that the identified map element corresponds to the map feature to be transmitted to the client device via the communication network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the map data includes generating, for each of the plurality of map elements, a respective vector descriptor that specifies a geometry of the map element in accordance with a vector graphics format.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the raster map image corresponds to a plurality of map tiles of equal size, wherein generating the map data includes: generating a first subset of the map data for rendering a first one of the plurality of map tiles; and generating a second subset of the map data for rendering a second one of the plurality of map tiles; wherein: each of the first subset of the map data and the second subset of the map data is adapted to be rendered as a respective raster image independently of the other one of the subset of the map data and the second subset of the map data, and the map feature includes a first map element provided in the first subset of the map data and a second map element provided in the second subset of the map data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the map feature data further includes providing a common text label for use with the two or more of the plurality of map elements of the map feature.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising providing a respective individual text label for each of the two or more of the plurality of map elements of the map feature.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a common style identifier to indicate a style according to which the two or more of the plurality of map elements of the map feature are rendered at the client device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the request for additional map data corresponding to the geographic area includes receiving an indication of at least one of (i) a new zoom level at which a new raster map image of the geographic area is to be rendered at the client device, or (ii) a new map type according to which the new raster map image of the geographic area is to be rendered at the client device, wherein the new map type is one of terrain map, traffic map, transit map, satellite map, or bicycle trail map.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the types of physical entities are selected from a group including a road segment, a building, and a bounded area.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the indication of the portion of the map data includes specifying boundaries of an area that encloses all of the two or more of the plurality of map elements, and wherein the specified boundaries do not coincide with boundaries of one or more map tiles in which the map feature is rendered.

10. A computing device operating on a communication network, the computing device comprising: one or more processors; a computer-readable memory storing thereon instructions including: a map data generator that, when executed on the one or more processors, generates map data for rendering a raster map image of a geographic area at a client device at a specified zoom level, wherein the map data specifies a plurality of geometric shapes according to a non-raster format, and wherein the raster map image depicts a plurality of physical entities in the geographic area; and a map feature controller that, when executed on the one or more processors: selects several but not all of the geometric shapes, independently of defining multiple subsets of the map data for rendering portions of the raster map image of a same size, to generate map feature data that corresponds to a group of two or more related physical entities selected from the plurality of physical entities, wherein the map feature does not correspond to at least one of the plurality of physical entities, and wherein to generate the map feature data, the map feature controller (i) provides an indication of a portion of the map data that corresponds to the map feature and (ii) provides a map feature identifier that uniquely identifies the map feature; wherein the computing device causes the map data and the map feature data to be transmitted to the client device via the communication network, after the map data and the map feature data are transmitted to the client device, receives a request for additional map data corresponding to the geographic area, and in response to the received request, (i) generates a description of a set of additional map elements in the non-raster format, wherein the additional map elements were not provided with the map data, (ii) identifies a map element in the set of additional map elements that is associated with the map feature, and (iii) provides the map feature identifier with the identified map element to indicate that the identified map element corresponds to the map feature, wherein the computing device causes the description of the set of additional map elements and the indication that the identified map element corresponds to the map feature to be transmitted to the client device via the communication network.

11. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein for each of the plurality of physical entities, the map data generator generates at least one vector description of a respective map element in accordance with a vector graphics format, wherein each vector description is independently interpretable at the client device to render a corresponding geometric shape.

12. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein the map data generator further provides a respective depth indication for each map element, wherein the depth indication indicates an order in which the map element is rendered relative to at least one overlapping map element.

13. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of physical entities is one of a building, a road segment, a park, or a body of water.

14. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the map feature corresponds to a group including a building and a road segment that are administratively related as being associated with a common commercial, business, academic, or a residential entity.

15. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the map data generator further generates (i) a common text label to be displayed with the map feature and (ii) a respective individual text label to be displayed with each map element associated with the map feature.

16. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the computer-readable memory further stores thereon a database interface module that, when executed on the one or more processors, is configured to receive, via a communication link: a description of a plurality of map elements corresponding to the plurality of respective physical entities in the geographic area, and a description of a plurality of map features, each associated with two or more of the plurality of map elements, wherein to generate the map data, the map data generator selects a subset of the description of the plurality of map elements based on a zoom level and a map type selected at the client device.

17. The computing device of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the plurality of map elements is associated with two or more of the plurality of map features.

18. A method in a computing device for providing interactive map content, the method comprising: receiving, via a communication network, map data for a geographic area and for a specified zoom level that conforms to a non-raster format, including receiving a plurality of descriptors, each specifying a geometric shape of a respective one of a plurality of map elements, wherein each of the plurality of descriptors is independently interpretable to render a corresponding map element; receiving map feature data that specifies a map feature selectable from the map data, wherein the map feature includes two or more of the plurality of map elements and does not include at least one of the plurality of map elements, wherein the map elements included in the map feature correspond to related physical entities in the geographic area or portions of a unitary physical entity, including receiving an indication of which of the plurality of map elements are associated with the map feature; interpreting the map data to generate a raster map image to be displayed via a user interface, including rendering the plurality of map elements; providing, via the user interface, an indication that the two or more of the plurality of map elements are associated with the map feature, including indicating a region of the raster map image that encompasses the entire map feature, wherein the indicated region has boundaries determined by the geometry of the map elements associated therewith; subsequently to providing the indication, generating a request for additional map data corresponding to the geographic area; receiving, in response to the request, a description of a set of additional map elements in the non-raster format and an indication that the set of additional map elements corresponds to the map feature, wherein the additional map elements were not provided with the map data; generating an updated map image; and providing an indication that the two or more of the plurality of map elements and the set of additional map elements are associated with the map feature.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising providing a user control for selecting the map feature without individually selecting each of the map elements associated with the map feature, wherein each of the map elements associated with the map feature is automatically selected in response to a user activating the user control.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising modifying the raster map image in response to the user activating the user control, including generating a highlighted representation of each of the map elements associated with the map feature.

21. The method of claim 18 , further comprising providing a user control for removing the map feature without individually selecting each of the map elements associated with the map feature for removal, wherein each of the map elements associated with the map feature is automatically removed in response to a user activating the user control.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein: the map feature corresponds to one of a commercial entity, a business entity, or an academic institution, and the map feature includes a map element corresponding to a building and a map element corresponding to a park.

23. The method of claim 18 , wherein interpreting the map data to generate a raster map image includes: interpreting a first portion of the map data to render a first map tile in a raster format; and interpreting a second portion of the map data to render a second map tile in the raster format; wherein the map feature includes a first map element rendered in the first map tile and a second map element rendered in the second map tile.

24. The method of claim 18 , wherein receiving the map feature data further includes receiving a feature identifier that uniquely identifies the map feature.

25. The method of claim 18 , wherein receiving the map feature data further includes receiving a common text label to be displayed with the map feature.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the map data includes generating, for each of the plurality of map elements, a respective vector description in accordance with a vector graphics format, wherein each vector description is independently interpretable at the client device to render a corresponding geometric shape.

27. The method of claim 18 , wherein the boundaries of the indicated region do not coincide with boundaries of map tiles that make up the raster map image.

28. The method of claim 18 , wherein receiving the map feature data includes receiving a specification of a polygon in a vector graphics format, wherein the polygon corresponds to the boundary of the indicated region.